Trade Unionists & Socialists Against Cuts (TUSC) are holding a public meeting on Thursday 8 May 7.30 pm at Hesters Way Resource Centre, Cassin Drive, Cheltenham.

So where’s the recovery? Five British families are worth more than the poorest 20%. With one million fed by food banks, 1.4 million on zero hour contracts, millions out of work and a massive housing crisis – we ask who’s benefiting from the recovery? Where’s our recovery?

One million people are now being fed by food banks. In the sixth largest economy on the planet people are going hungry due to soaring rent and bills, austerity measures, wage cuts and unemployment. It’s not surprising that the Con-Dems and the big business-owned press attack food banks. They are a physical manifestation of the failure and inability of capitalism to solve the most basic human needs.

In an effort to cut across the horror and sympathy generated by recent statements from Oxfam and the Trussell Trust charity – the UK’s biggest foodbank network, government sources have denounced the latter’s report on food banks as ‘”misleading and emotionally manipulative”. Several MPs are now calling for an “independent report”, including Gloucester MP Richard Graham who, along with Mark Harper (Forest of Dean) and Neil Carmichael (Stroud) voted in December 2013 against a House of Commons inquiry into increased food bank usage.

While the right-wing press and politicians are eager to portray the poor as shirkers and scroungers, charities like Age UK are warning of the number of people aged over 50 who are fearful of losing their homes due to unemployment. Council cuts and the demolition of the welfare system is adding the misery and insecurity felt by many. There is no alternative but to fight the cuts and campaign for councillors who pledge to fight all cuts and privatisation.